Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Today, I'm not going to watch tv at all. In fact, I have a new plan involving television in my life.

Last month, I watched more television than I had in the past year. Not having a job, I'd wake up, turn on the tv, grab something to eat for breakfast, then pull out my laptop. I'd apply for multiple jobs online while watching Food Network shows by the half dozens. Then I'd go for a walk (sometimes, not often enough), shower and get ready, then watch tv while eating lunch. It would take me awhile to pull myself off the couch, but eventually I'd go out and apply at establishments in person. I'd get home about an hour before Steve got off work, so I'd watch more tv. Ofttimes, Steve and I would watch a show or two at night, too. In short, I watched a lot of tv!

Now that I have a job, I know my tv viewing will decrease substantially, but I also have two days off during the week. I can totally see myself sinking into the television abyss and not doing anything productive on those days until Steve gets off work. I don't want this to happen, so I'm experimenting with not watching tv on my 2 week days off (Tuesdays and Thursdays).

What are my plans? Here's a list of some things to do instead of watching tv:

1. Exercise. This past month, I've kind of gotten out of my exercise habit. Since I credit exercise with most of my weight loss, this isn't a good situation. So, I am rededicating myself to exercising every day and am going to start keeping track of my exercise again since that really helps me.

2. Write. I am not terribly ambitious about my writing. I will blog a little more and work on a novel I'd like to write. It would be awesome if something came of it, but really, at this point, I'd just like to say I finished a novel. I have the title and the basic story outline, so we'll see how it goes.

3. Clean. The apartment isn't exactly a mess, but I'd like to clean something every day I have off. That way, the apartment stays clean and I get back in the habit of cleaning. It's funny how many habits I've lost over the past year - too busy having a social life. *smile*

4. Explore. There is a lot of this area that I don't know and this is a great time of year to explore it. The leaves are beginning to change colors and everything is beautiful. I'd like to drive around, go on some hikes I've heard about, try different restaurants, and see all there is to see.

5. Read. Let's be honest...this is what I'm really looking forward to doing the most. I love reading. I have a long list of books people have recommended to me and am excited to finally have time to start reading them. However, reading can be even more addicting than television, so if I start spending all my time reading, I'll have to start limiting my reading time. So, I'll be judicious...as much as I can be. *grin*

6. Wii. Though using the tv, this isn't the same as watching tv, since I'll be up and moving around. Steve and I love to play tennis and bowling on the Wii and I always beat him. Always. However, he started practicing and is getting a lot better. He's almost better at tennis than me (he kicks my butt in real life) and he finally is figuring out his throw in bowling, so I have got to step up my game. This will probably be the least-chosen activity, but it's definitely something to turn to when I need a little something different.

I'll still watch TV in the evenings with Steve, if that's what we decide to do, but we have so much fun doing other things, that I'm not worried about us spending all our time together in front of the tube.

Mostly, I want to live life, not watch fake people on tv live theirs. So that's what I'm going to do!

Monday, October 04, 2010

I am now gainfully employed again, after exactly one month without a job. I'm going to be honest, I had a few mental breakdowns about being unemployed. It had been sooooo long since I hadn't had a job, that it was a little hard to not be earning money. That said, it was kind of nice to have a break. I was pretty lazy, when not applying for every job I could find, and even at places that weren't even hiring. I slept in, watched a lot of tv, ate too much (gained only a couple pounds, thankfully not more), and spent lots of time with Steve. Like I said, the break was kind of nice.

That said, I'm glad it's over. I feel better having a job; more useful, more productive, more like myself. I don't like not having a job. Especially since I have bills to pay.

The job I accepted isn't much. It's only part-time and so doesn't pay a lot, but it's a job. It's at a chiropractic office that is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9am to 6pm. I like that I don't have to be at the office at 8am, especially since I have to leave 20 minutes early to get to work. So, now I leave home just before 8:30am, 30 minutes after I used to have to be at work! I don't love staying til 6pm (usually we don't leave until 15-20 minutes after 6pm), but since it's only 3 days a week, it's not too bad. I have lots of ideas about what I'll do the rest of the time, but I'll save that for another time.

There are two doctors; I work for just one of them. The other doctor has 2 office workers, my doctor has 5 - me, an office manager, and 3 chiro assistants. One of the assistants started on the 1st of October, too. It's kind of nice to have someone there who doesn't know what they're doing, too. I really like everyone that works there, especially 2 of the assistants; the new gal and her best friend who told her about the job opening. They're 21-ish and kind of silly, but I like them. My boss, Dr. D, is cool enough. I don't see a lot of him, which is very unlike the last medical professional for whom I worked, and actually makes me miss Eric. He is pretty busy seeing patients and when he isn't, he sits in his office. I stay up front completely. It's a fairly easy job, nothing too challenging, but I enjoy it. I like interacting with the patients. In fact, it's nice being in a medical office again, although I really really loved working at the university and miss it a lot.

Well, that's the scoop. Now that I have a job, I feel even better about being up here. I miss Cedar, my family, my friends, but I'm glad to be here. I love Steve with all my heart, and I love being able to see him every day. It's fun to be having new experiences and meeting new people. I am enjoying exploring the area, too. The drive to and from work is surprisingly beautiful with lots of trees with leaves now changing colors. In short, I'm happy.